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Mario Bautista, has been with the entertainment industry for more than 4 decades. He writes regular columns for People's Journal and Malaya.

Jun 20, 2017

The Huge Success Of 'My Love From The Star' Shows Jennylyn Mercado Can Now Carry A Show On Her Own, Even With A Total Newcomer As Leading Man

GMA-7 FOUND a real winner in their local remake of the Koreanovela, “My Love from the Star”, which had been a consistent top rater since it started airing last month. Jennylyn Mercado’s star is shining brighter than ever, proving she can now carry a show on her own since her leading man in this adaptation is a total newcomer, Gil Cuerva. Some folks say that Jennylyn as Steffi is even better and wackier than the Korean actress who played the same role in the original Korean version.

“Hindi lang naman ako ang dahilan kung bakit nag-click sa viewers ang show,” says Jen. “Utang din namin ito sa kapareha ko, si Gil, at sa lahat ng co-stars namin, and all the staff, including our writers and si Direk Joyce Bernal. This is a collaborative effort at lahat nagtutulong-tulong para mapaganda talaga ang bawat episode ng show.”

Next month, Jen will be doubly busy as she will start shooting her new movie for Quantum Filmsmeant to be an entry in Metro Filmfes this coming December. This is her reunion flick with Jericho Rosales after they did “Walang Forever”, which is a critical and commercial success in the annual Metro Filmfest two years ago. Their new movie project will be directed once again by ace filmmaker Dan Villegas.

Gil Cuerva is also very grateful for the huge success of his very first TV series. “Sobrang laki ng naging pagbabago sa buhay ko dahil sa 'My Love from the Star',” he says. “As a model, tahimik lang ang buhay ko, people don’t really recognize me in public. But after my appearance as Matteo in ‘My Love from the Star’, everything changed. Paglabas ko, mas nakikilala ako ng tao. They might not know my real name but they know me as Matteo and I’m so happy because that means they’re really watching our show. To think one month pa lang halos ang itinatakbo ng show. So I want to thank everyone involved in the show, including the stylists and make up artists who look after me on the set, nagbunga lahat ng efforts and hard work namin.”

What can he say that he is the new “pantasya of girls and gays”? “Okay lang, I like that. I’m really thankful for all the support of the fans. It’s quite overwhelming, actually, kasi nung modeling days ko, hindi naman ganito karami at hindi ganito kalakas ang positive feedback sa akin.”

The footage showing him taking a shower is shown repeatedly on the net and some quarters are urging the makers of “My Love from the Star” that he be given another even more daring shower scene. Does he mind being considered a sex object?

“Fans today seem to be more wild, so okay lang kahit sex object ang tingin nila sa akin,” he says. “Maingay sila because of social media and I want to thank them for their interest in me and ‘My Love from the Star’. Kaya lang, let’s face it, what we have is a TV show, so limitado ang puedeng ipakita. So chill lang po kayo. Kung sa akin, okay lang naman kahit mag-Speedo trunks. Let’s just see kung pakikinggan ng writers at ni Direk Joyce Bernal ang request ninyo.”

So how is his relationship now with Jen after they’ve been taping together for several weeks? “I feel so much more comfortable with her now, especially in our scenes together. She’s really a big help to me. She’s very patient, very understanding, tinutulungan talaga ako para magawa ko ng tama ang trabaho ko.”

Some folks say Jen is being envied for being so lucky as his first leading lady and doing kissing scenes with him. “No, I’m the one who is lucky as Jen is the perfect partner any new guy can get. And I’m so happy na tinanggap agad ang tandem namin at malakas raw ang chemistry naming dalawa. So, to all the loyal viewers of ‘My Love from the Star’, sige lang po kayo sa gabi-gabing panonood no dahil mas paganda pa nang paganda ang bawat episode ng show namin.”

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